Las Vegas: getting lucky at Big Dog's Brewing Company

"This is a very Man place." Vera commented knowledgeably as we ducked from the brightness of the sun into the cavernous interior of Big Dog's Brewing Company in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stale smoke and the strains of evil 80s dance remixes pulsed methodically: I had to agree with her.

With its faux cow-hide dining booths, models of wooden ducks flying in formation above us on the ceiling, vintage cowboy posters from the annual December Rodeo finals, and a general sense of lived-in western kitsch, it fit the profile of a brewery that has been around for 20 plus years on the edge of Vegas and caters to a local crowd. Who ARE the locals in Vegas anyway? I have my thoughts, but we won't go there.

Although the decor and cleanliness of the pub seemed lacking, Big Dog's Brewery had a solid selection of beers for every palette. Jeff ordered a mesquite smoked wheat beer, which was clear and mellow, even with the characteristic smokiness. It had a beautiful copper color, thin head and was smooth with a distinctive mesquite finish (thumbs up for usage of local wood rather than the traditional birch over which the beer is normally brewed). We thought that pulled pork sandwich would have been a great accompaniment for this unique flavor. 

I ordered what turned out to be a great example of a hefeweizen, thoroughly satisfying with a nice mouth feel (meaning the body of the beer has substance or a silky texture). It was citrusy, cloved and clean tasting with a long finish. This would be perfect for a summer beer on a hot day...maybe not in the "Man" room, with the ducks. Maybe somewhere other than Las Vegas (okay, now I'm just being mean). Still, a surprisingly good beer.

While the beers were great, we were not impressed by the location of the brewpub: in a remote industrial location northwest of town. And we were underwhelmed by the lackluster appearance of everything. But then again, it was on the outskirts of Vegas, so what did we think we would find?